Multiple roles of Sonic Hedgehog in the developing human cortex are suggested by its widespread distribution.

Sonic Hedgehog (Shh) plays an instrumental role in brain development, fine-tuning processes such as cell proliferation, patterning, and fate specification. Although, mutations in the SHH pathway in humans are associated with various neurodevelopmental disorders, ranging from holoprosencephaly to schizophrenia, its expression pattern in the developing human brain is not well established. We now determined the previously not reported wide expression of SHH in the human fetal cerebral cortex during most of the gestation period (10-40 gestational weeks). This spatiotemporal distribution puts Shh in a position to influence the fundamental processes involved in corticogenesis. SHH expression increased during development, shifting from progenitor cells in the proliferative zones to neurons, both glutamatergic and GABAergic, and astrocytes in upper cortical compartments. Importantly, the expression of its downstream effectors and complementary receptors revealed evolutionary differences in SHH-pathway gene expression between humans and rodents.

Strawberry polyphenols attenuate ethanol-induced gastric lesions in rats by activation of antioxidant enzymes and attenuation of MDA increase.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: Free radicals are implicated in the aetiology of gastrointestinal disorders such as gastric ulcer, colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease. Strawberries are common and important fruit due to their high content of essential nutrient and beneficial phytochemicals which seem to have relevant biological activity on human health. In the present study we investigated the antioxidant and protective effects of three strawberry extracts against ethanol-induced gastric mucosa damage in an experimental in vivo model and to test whether strawberry extracts affect antioxidant enzyme activities in gastric mucosa. METHODS/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Strawberry extracts were obtained from Adria, Sveva and Alba cultivars. Total antioxidant capacity and radical scavenging capacity were performed by TEAC, ORAC and electron paramagnetic resonance assays. Identification and quantification of anthocyanins was carried out by HPLC-DAD-MS analyses. Different groups of animals received 40 mg/day/kg body weight of strawberry crude extracts for 10 days. Gastric damage was induced by ethanol. The ulcer index was calculated together with the determination of catalase and SOD activities and MDA contents. Strawberry extracts are rich in anthocyanins and present important antioxidant capacity. Ethanol caused severe gastric damage and strawberry consumption protected against its deleterious role. Antioxidant enzyme activities increased significantly after strawberry extract intake and a concomitantly decrease in gastric lipid peroxidation was found. A significant correlation between total anthocyanin content and percent of inhibition of ulcer index was also found. CONCLUSIONS: Strawberry extracts prevented exogenous ethanol-induced damage to rats' gastric mucosa. These effects seem to be associated with the antioxidant activity and phenolic content in the extract as well as with the capacity of promoting the action of antioxidant enzymes. A diet rich in strawberries might exert a beneficial effect in the prevention of gastric diseases related to generation of reactive oxygen species.

Attenuation of cold restraint stress-induced gastric lesions by an olive leaf extract.

Olive leaf extract (OLE) possesses, among other, antioxidative properties, but whether it influences gastroprotection against stress-induced gastric lesions remains unknown. In this study we investigated the protective effect of OLE, a natural antioxidant, on gastric mucosal damage induced by cold restraint stress (CRS) in rats. Three different doses of commercial OLE EFLA((R)) 943 were applied intragastrically (i.g.) 30 min prior to stress induction. Macroscopic gastric lesions were evaluated and ulcer index (UI) was calculated. Histological evidence of gastric mucosal lesions was also obtained. Concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) as an index of lipid peroxidation, and catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were determined in gastric mucosa. The effects of applied OLE on gastric mucosal lesions, lipid peroxidation and antioxidative enzymes activity were compared with effects of i.g. pretreatment of reference drug, ranitidine. CRS caused severe gastric lesions in all non-pretreated animals, and this finding was confirmed histologicaly. Pretreatment with OLE (40, 80 and 120 mg.kg(-1)), as well as with ranitidine (50 mg.kg(-1)), significantly (p < 0.001) attenuated stress-induced gastric lesions. Treatment with 80 mg.kg(-1) of OLE was the most effective in prevention of rise in gastric MDA level and decrease in CAT and SOD activity. The results obtained indicate that OLE possesses gastroprotective activity against CRS-induced gastric lesions in rats, possibly related to its antioxidative properties.